Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has told SAnews.gov.za, that the provincial government’s engagement with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the National Executive today, presents an opportunity for the province to address its challenges.
The President will lead the engagement with the provincial government today, Friday, 27 March 2026, which is to be held at the University of Free State Centenary Complex in Bloemfontein, under the theme: “A Nation that Works for All”.
“It’s an opportunity for us to plead with them [because] we are having challenges in the province.
“We have an issue of the bucket system eradication in the province; an issue of human settlements where people are moving from one area to the other. We are also having an issue of infrastructure that is ageing and an issue of sewerage.
“We are happy that [Water and Sanitation] Minister Pemmy Majodina is always in our province, supporting this provincial government. So hopefully, we will get more Ministers who are saying: Premier, this is how we are going to support your provincial government,” the Premier said in an interview with SAnews.gov.za.
President Ramaphosa has already held interactions with the provincial governments of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the North West.
“The visit is aligned with President Ramaphosa’s commitment to encourage closer collaboration with Provinces and Local spheres of government to tackle service delivery challenges.
“This initiative accords with Section 154 of the Constitution, which mandates national and provincial governments to support and strengthen capacity of municipalities in governance,” the Presidency said in a statement, ahead of Friday’s engagement.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, President Ramaphosa said government is proposing fundamental reforms to address the root causes of dysfunction in many municipalities and to improve the efficiency of service delivery.
At the time, the President said these changes are expected to be implemented in the coming months through the finalisation of the White Paper on Local Government. This as the White Paper is set to reimagine the way that local government works.
President Ramaphosa noted that the current local government system is overly complex and fragmented, placing excessive responsibilities on small and weak municipalities.
Government is also proposing more structured cooperation between municipalities and traditional and Khoi-San leadership institutions to strengthen community engagement and promote shared problem-solving.
“We will ensure that senior officials in local government have the required qualifications and are appointed through an independent process free from political interference.
“Where municipalities fail, we will strengthen the ability of national government to intervene more quickly and to direct corrective measures in the interests of serving our people better,” the President said.
Acknowledging that the reforms may be challenging, President Ramaphosa stressed that they are necessary.
He said progress has been made in stabilising eThekwini, resulting in renewed investor confidence.
Meanwhile, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa earlier this month reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting municipalities through policy reforms, including the review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government, which is nearing completion, and ongoing work on municipal funding models and staffing frameworks.
Speaking at an engagement session with mayors of metropolitan municipalities, Hlabisa also emphasised that the success of metros is critical to the country’s overall stability, urging all spheres of government to work together to rebuild capable, accountable and responsive municipalities.
READ | Municipalities urged to strengthen governance systems, maintain public trust
“We are three spheres of government but one country. We will successfully overcome the obstacles that our metropolitan municipalities are currently facing by working together,” the Minister said at the time. – SAnews.gov.za
